Being creative is a quality that photographers are constantly searching for to enable them to produce creative imagery. Sometimes the ideas flow freely whilst at other times we may hit a wall and not sure where to turn to next.
I recently had one such period when the creative juices just seemed to dry up, whilst looking for inspiration I came across a book entitled The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life
Now I must admit that until that moment I had not heard of Twyla Tharp but after reading the book reviews I decided to purchased a copy. I am so glad that I did, it is a wonderful book to read, a book full of common sense and good practical advice on nurturing the creative mindset.
Twyla Tharp is a dancer and choreographer and whilst many of the examples in her book are drawn from her dance experience there is much to be had for photographers and indeed all varieties of aspiring artists.
The principal is simple – the act of being creative is something that has to be nurtured and worked at constantly.
Twyla discusses the power and merit of having a structured and disciplined approach to her creative efforts and eloquently conveys the message of consistency and dedication to the creative process in a very clear and engaging way. Personally, I rarely do “exercises” in books, but I am doing the exercises in this book and actively looking to apply the results to my photography.
I found Twyla’s book to be inspiring it has opened up a whole world of creative opportunity and how to live and work within in it, it offers deep insight and suggestions as to how to change your life into a more creative one. Overall a most enjoyable book to read, indeed it is probably the most practical and thoughtful book on the creative process that I have read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to stimulate their creativity.
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